Page 28 of Tangled in Knots

“Bossy little omega,” I growl under my breath as I drop onto my haunches to drop my focus to the ground. I don’t have many tools to self regulate when my emotions run rampant, and Jed isn’t here to help me.

It’s probably for the better, since he still wants to sell my omega. When he left the room to speak to Dad, I came downstairs to the basement. I’ve already punched him, I don’t trust myself not to launch my anger in his direction again.

The smartest move my father could make is to simply give us time to stabilize Adira before transporting her to Ophelia at the auction house. That’ll mean keeping her here until she can be sold. Buyers want a sex doll with a bit of fight in them, or that’s what my father says anyway.

I stay far away from the auction houses due to the amount of omegas who are there. The reminder of my childhood traumahas kept me safe until now. I have to pivot in another direction now to deal with my fears. Though, now it’s about the fear of being out of control, and more about having another person I’m responsible for, whose consciousness lives inside of me.

Keeping the little omega means I need to get Jed to see my side of things. I may not know her, but I owe her some sort of life line since we’re tied together. I tell myself that, but deep inside, I can feel the pull of the truth of things. I cared if she lives or dies even before I understood the full meaning of how the bond works.

For all intents and purposes, I’m going to need to make waves. I’m done letting other people make decisions for me. I have no doubts there will be a family meeting very soon, but I need a nap before I can face them so I’m at my best.

Adira deserves that.

“Wake up,” someone says from where I’m laying on the ground in the theater room. I found some clean blankets and a pillow and called it good. The second my head hit the softness of the pillow, I was out like a light.

“Do I have to?” I grumble, attempting to pry my eyes open to glare upward at the voice interrupting my sleep.

My eyelashes put up a fight as I blink, gunk sticking them together. Grunting in annoyance, I swipe my hand over my eyes until they painfully unstick. Fuck.

Jed and Morris gaze down at me in faint amusement as I push myself slowly into a sitting position.

“This floor isn’t at all comfortable,” Morris says, gazing down at it distastefully.

It was good enough at the time for Adira, so this is where I’ll sleep.

I hold back the words that are bubbling to the forefront of my mind, surprised by the snark I’m experiencing. Is that the omega’s influence or what it feels like to no longer be numb?

“I barely even felt it,” I grunt, my voice dead and lifeless. It’s good to know I can still mimic my baseline before Adira.

That’s the only way I know how to feel closer to the not so well behaved little omega. We weren’t prepared for her.

“Food is ready. We need to talk about what Dad wants,” Jed says. “I’m afraid you’ll need to give up whatever this attachment is that you have to the omega, Damon. Dad and Ophelia are already gathering an audience for the auction. Our job is to make sure she’s ready for her debut.”

I keep my face impassive, noting the way Morris’ jaw grinds at Jed’s words. There appears to be a bit of tension in paradise. Morris won’t say a word of dissent in front of me, since I’m not involved in their relationship, and I’ve never wanted to be.

It makes him the perfect beta for my brothers because of how well he follows directions.

Standing lithely, I hold back the pain in my head from reaching any farther. Jed is watching too closely, possibly worried my loyalty has been breached by a troublesome little omega.

He’d be right.

Unlike Kane, I do dream. I worked through a lot of the bullshit I’m slogging through in my sleep, and I know Adira can’t be sold. Unless it’s to me. Neither of us will be able to survive it.

I’ve been analyzing the motivations and possible ways the little omega may lash out at the only person who will ever know how much things affect her. She can’t hide from me, and I’m barely able to shield my thoughts from her. Adira will either torture me with what’s happening to her in my mind, until all Ican think of is getting to her, or worse, she’ll be able to control it all, so I’ll simply feel unmitigated pain as I listen to her screams in my head.

Both aren’t things I’m willing to live with. It doesn’t matter that we don’t know anything else about each other. I know the way she sounds when she’s in pain in my mind, the way her fear feels like a viscous feeling within me. That’s enough for me.

When I can say she’s safe and with me, I’ll pepper her with every question imaginable. Except, it won’t be things like her favorite color or thing to eat. It’ll be her favorite moment in time and every fear she has, so I can kill them all and give her joyful memories to live for.

My life as a mindless soldier is over, my brothers simply don’t know it yet.

“Alright,” I say, taking a step forward despite the barriers in front of the doorway. They’ll either move or not.

“Are you still upset about the omega’s short lived stay with us?” Jed asks, shifting to more solidly block the door. Ah, wonderful. The heart to heart starts now. Too bad as far as he’s concerned, I don’t have one that beats.

“I’ll figure out how to block her,” I state bluntly. “It helps that she’s still under pain medication.”

“You can tell that from down here?” Morris asks, his eyes searching for a reason I’d know this in some other way.

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